The Musical Box - NYC

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The Musical Box
Nokia Theater, New York City
January 4, 2009

For those not familiar with them, The Musical Box is the Genesis tribute band, focusing on the Gabriel era.  They have been touring regularly on three shows: “Foxtrot” (a tour that includes a variety of other Gabriel-era material); “Selling England” (a recreation of the actual concert, including the same set list); and “The Lamb” (a superbly detailed recreation of that tour).  TMB is the only Genesis tribute band sanctioned by both Gabriel and Genesis; in fact, Genesis provided TMB with the 1200 slides (and some of the costumes) for The Lamb tour, and Collins, Hackett and Rutherford have all appeared live with TMB at different times.

I have seen all three TMB tours, and all of them are extraordinary.  Each band member uses vintage equipment – exactly the same type used by Genesis in concert, and they are amazing musicians.  Front man Denis Gagne is an exceptional Peter Gabriel, capturing every nuance perfectly.  And for many years, each of the members of TMB not only played his part superbly, but were chosen for their resemblances to their Genesis counterparts.  (The resemblances are still there, to varying degrees.)  Most amazing was drummer Martin Levac, who not only played incredibly (and left-handed), but was a dead ringer for Phil Collins.  Mr. Levac left the band a couple of years ago to start his own, Collins-era Genesis tribute band.  And therein hangs a tale.  Or should I say, "Tail."

This year, TMB chose to recreate the Trick of the Tail tour – the first time the band has played Collins-era music.  And although TMB is never going to be “bad,” this show simply did not have the same “oomph” as their Gabriel-era shows.

To begin with, although Mr. Gagne sported a full face of hair (as Collins did in 1976) and wore the same clothing as Phil – and although he did admirably with the tambourine – he is simply not nearly as a good a “Phil” as he is a “Peter.”  Most critically, he does not play drums, so the band used a “look-alike” (wearing the same clothes as Gagne) as the drummer, with he and Gagne switching places (mostly) seamlessly.  But nobody was fooled, and the band did not even acknowledge the drummer at the end of the show.  As well, the “Bruford” of the band was similarly not introduced.  And although he was certainly a capable drummer (and looked a little bit like BB), he did not really come alive until halfway through the show – and even then he never matched the “punch” and “precision” of BB.

Musically, the show was a mixed bag: some songs came off beautifully, others did not.

The show opened with a solid version of Dance on a Volcano, followed by what Gagne (I mean Phil…) called “Lamb Casserole,” a medley of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, an instrumental version of Fly on a Windshield, and Carpet Crawlers.  Although the medley was very good (with Carpet Crawlers a stand-out), Gagne sings these better as Gabriel than he does as Collins.  Following this came Cinema Show (a tight crowd-pleaser, and the band’s first standing ovation) and White Mountain (very well handled).  Robbery, Assault and Battery was somewhat weak, but it was followed by an absolutely masterful Firth of Fifth (the band’s second standing ovation).  Entangled was beautiful but a tad weak, and Squonk was another tight crowd-pleaser.  After this came Supper’s Ready.  And although it was unquestionably masterfully done (it is part of the Foxtrot and Selling England shows, so they play it a lot) – and it received a well-deserved standing ovation – I felt that it didn’t quite have the “snap” with Gagne as Collins that it does when he is Gabriel.  Next up was a somewhat weak (and overly long) I Know What I Like, followed by a solid Los Endos.  The encores were It (somewhat weak) and a very solid instrumental version of parts of Watcher of the Skies.

Visually, it seemed as though Genesis once again came through by providing many of the original slides, backdrops and other visuals for the show (unless TMB actually recreated them).  Soundwise, there were some annoyances, including an occasionally not-present-enough microphone, and what I feel was a bad mix of the drums (they both should have had much more “presence”).  As well, there also seemed to be a slight sound problem with the Moog Taurus bass pedals that caused a very mild, but annoying, buzz when they were used. But these are largely quibbles, and the show was certainly entertaining, if not up to par with their other shows.

Still, one can only wonder if this show was a “response” to Martin Levac’s departure and creation of a Collins-era Genesis tribute band.  (Which, from what I’m told by people who have seen it, is as spectacular re Collins as TMB is re Gabriel.)  If so, well...

...Rather than sum up myself, I am going to quote Nick, a very nice gentleman whom I met that evening, a fellow drummer who is very familiar with both TMB and Martin Levac:

“After further reflection of the show last night, I have to say that TMB should stick to the Gabriel era.  Denis Gagne is no Martin Levac.  In fact, he doesn't really sound like Phil or project that edgy, almost hyper Phil energy the way Martin does.  That said, I give the show a "B."  If I want Phil, I'm sticking with Martin.  TMB are purists, and they have fallen short with Trick of The Tail.  They should continue with their circuit of Foxtrot, SEBTP and The Lamb.  If they want to add one more tour into the mix, I would love to see them do Nursery Cryme.”

I could not have said it better myself.  Thanks Nick.

Peace.

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maani Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Founding Moderator Joined: January 30 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 2632	Topic: The Musical Box - NYC Posted: January 05 2009 at 19:15
	The Musical Box Nokia Theater, New York City January 4, 2009 For those not familiar with them, The Musical Box is the Genesis tribute band, focusing on the Gabriel era. They have been touring regularly on three shows: “Foxtrot” (a tour that includes a variety of other Gabriel-era material); “Selling England” (a recreation of the actual concert, including the same set list); and “The Lamb” (a superbly detailed recreation of that tour). TMB is the only Genesis tribute band sanctioned by both Gabriel and Genesis; in fact, Genesis provided TMB with the 1200 slides (and some of the costumes) for The Lamb tour, and Collins, Hackett and Rutherford have all appeared live with TMB at different times. I have seen all three TMB tours, and all of them are extraordinary. Each band member uses vintage equipment – exactly the same type used by Genesis in concert, and they are amazing musicians. Front man Denis Gagne is an exceptional Peter Gabriel, capturing every nuance perfectly. And for many years, each of the members of TMB not only played his part superbly, but were chosen for their resemblances to their Genesis counterparts. (The resemblances are still there, to varying degrees.) Most amazing was drummer Martin Levac, who not only played incredibly (and left-handed), but was a dead ringer for Phil Collins. Mr. Levac left the band a couple of years ago to start his own, Collins-era Genesis tribute band. And therein hangs a tale. Or should I say, "Tail." This year, TMB chose to recreate the Trick of the Tail tour – the first time the band has played Collins-era music. And although TMB is never going to be “bad,” this show simply did not have the same “oomph” as their Gabriel-era shows. To begin with, although Mr. Gagne sported a full face of hair (as Collins did in 1976) and wore the same clothing as Phil – and although he did admirably with the tambourine – he is simply not nearly as a good a “Phil” as he is a “Peter.” Most critically, he does not play drums, so the band used a “look-alike” (wearing the same clothes as Gagne) as the drummer, with he and Gagne switching places (mostly) seamlessly. But nobody was fooled, and the band did not even acknowledge the drummer at the end of the show. As well, the “Bruford” of the band was similarly not introduced. And although he was certainly a capable drummer (and looked a little bit like BB), he did not really come alive until halfway through the show – and even then he never matched the “punch” and “precision” of BB. Musically, the show was a mixed bag: some songs came off beautifully, others did not. The show opened with a solid version of Dance on a Volcano, followed by what Gagne (I mean Phil…) called “Lamb Casserole,” a medley of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, an instrumental version of Fly on a Windshield, and Carpet Crawlers. Although the medley was very good (with Carpet Crawlers a stand-out), Gagne sings these better as Gabriel than he does as Collins. Following this came Cinema Show (a tight crowd-pleaser, and the band’s first standing ovation) and White Mountain (very well handled). Robbery, Assault and Battery was somewhat weak, but it was followed by an absolutely masterful Firth of Fifth (the band’s second standing ovation). Entangled was beautiful but a tad weak, and Squonk was another tight crowd-pleaser. After this came Supper’s Ready. And although it was unquestionably masterfully done (it is part of the Foxtrot and Selling England shows, so they play it a lot) – and it received a well-deserved standing ovation – I felt that it didn’t quite have the “snap” with Gagne as Collins that it does when he is Gabriel. Next up was a somewhat weak (and overly long) I Know What I Like, followed by a solid Los Endos. The encores were It (somewhat weak) and a very solid instrumental version of parts of Watcher of the Skies. Visually, it seemed as though Genesis once again came through by providing many of the original slides, backdrops and other visuals for the show (unless TMB actually recreated them). Soundwise, there were some annoyances, including an occasionally not-present-enough microphone, and what I feel was a bad mix of the drums (they both should have had much more “presence”). As well, there also seemed to be a slight sound problem with the Moog Taurus bass pedals that caused a very mild, but annoying, buzz when they were used. But these are largely quibbles, and the show was certainly entertaining, if not up to par with their other shows. Still, one can only wonder if this show was a “response” to Martin Levac’s departure and creation of a Collins-era Genesis tribute band. (Which, from what I’m told by people who have seen it, is as spectacular re Collins as TMB is re Gabriel.) If so, well... ...Rather than sum up myself, I am going to quote Nick, a very nice gentleman whom I met that evening, a fellow drummer who is very familiar with both TMB and Martin Levac: “After further reflection of the show last night, I have to say that TMB should stick to the Gabriel era. Denis Gagne is no Martin Levac. In fact, he doesn't really sound like Phil or project that edgy, almost hyper Phil energy the way Martin does. That said, I give the show a "B." If I want Phil, I'm sticking with Martin. TMB are purists, and they have fallen short with Trick of The Tail. They should continue with their circuit of Foxtrot, SEBTP and The Lamb. If they want to add one more tour into the mix, I would love to see them do Nursery Cryme.” I could not have said it better myself. Thanks Nick. Peace.